Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of Dee MacDonald's 'Murder at the Loch' in exchange for my review.

'Murder at the Loch' is the second instalment of the Ally McKinley mystery series. In the first instalment Edinburgh native Ally McKinley established herself in the community of Locharran, successfully got her B&B up and running, and found a companion in retired Veterinarian Ross. All this in addition to solving a murder! In this second instalment Ally has a double murder to solve as two young women, newly engaged to Locharran residents, are found dead in quick succession.

A fun second instalment to the series. Filled with vibrant characters and red herrings. As with the first book there is a lot of repetition of information. Almost like the author feels the reader needs to be reminded of the newest developments every couple of chapters.

A perfect read for a rainy day.

Murder at the Loch is book 2 in the Ally McKinley series by Dee Macdonald. It is published on 3 March 2025. Thank you to Bookouture, Netgalley and the author for the advance copy to read and review. At 68, Ally left Edinburgh and bought an old malthouse in the small village of Locharran in the Scottish Highlands and transformed it into a B&B overlooking the loch. An idyllic spot but this is spoilt when she spots what turns out to be a body floating towards her and Hamish Sinclair, the Earl of Locharran, who owns the nearby castle and most of the land around. DI Bob Rigby, took the position in the village, hoping for a few quiet years before retirement. That’s not working out very well for him, particularly when, within a few days, there is another murder. Ally is one of DI Rigby’s suspects, so she’s determined to find out who the murderer is. This cozy mystery was a wonderful read, with terrific characters. They tend to get under your skin. Hamish is very much a ladies’ man. The two elderly sisters, Queenie and Bessie McDougall, run the local shop, the centre for local gossip, and they are certain Hamish is one of the men in Ally’s life. It is a wonderful tale of life in a little country village, with the odd murder thrown in. It is easy reading, a great story and a lovely setting.

Absolutely loved book 2! I felt like I jumped right back into the Scottish Highlands. The characters are so enjoyable to follow and the storyline kept me guessing! Hoping to read more of Ally McKinley's story and adventures!

Ally McKinley and her puppy Flora go for a walk by the loch everyday but this time she finds a body of a woman floating in the water.so begin a new investigation. I love this series!

Unfortunately, not one I could get into right away and had to go back for a second try.
Didn’t really tick the boxes for me, but perhaps have read too many similar ones.

This was a really great second book in the series. I love reading about Ally and her part in solving murders in her little village, Locharran. It was wonderful seeing the personalities continue to develop for the residents from book one to this, and I really hope there continue to be more books in this series!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book. I hadn’t seen the first book until getting access to this one and bought and read that first. I’m glad to have found this!

Murder At The Loch is the second novel in the fun, cosy mystery series, with our elderly protagonist Ally McKinley. Retired and running a small B&B at Locharran, in the Scottish Highlands, Ally is once again in the middle of the action when there is a series of murders in the village.
Murder At The Loch contains lots of clues, red herrings and humour. A very enjoyable and fun read. And I loved that the Ally is an elderly woman - a refreshing change from the norm.

A great cozy mystery set in the Scottish highlands. Lots of clues, red herrings and fun read. Would highly recommend.

Meet Ally McKinley: dog lover, guesthouse owner and accidental detective, as she tackles her next case in the beautiful Scottish Highlands! It is a well written novel, with punchy dialogue that rings true, and the descriptive writing brings the scenes to life.
A book that stands out from the crowd. The characters and the setting are written exceptionally well.

This was a strong sequel in the Ally McKinley mystery series, it had what I was hoping for and enjoyed the overall concept. The characters were wonderfully done and enjoyed how they worked with the mystery element. I was invested in what was going on with Dee MacDonald’s writing and the characters were everything that I was looking for. I can’t wait to read more in this series and from Dee MacDonald.

Scotland, veterinarian, local-law-enforcement, guesthouse, amateur-sleuth, widow, retirees, pet-dog, small-business, small-town, rural, ghostie, drowning, poisons, local-gossip, local-legends, situational-humor, friendship, friends, brides*****

Allyson is a widowed over 60 retired TV company researcher from the city who has opened a guesthouse in the former malthouse in the tiny village of Locharran in the Highlands of Scotland. She is good at the information gathering and making a suspect board with her friend Ross the semiretired veterinarian and has also made many friends in the village.
She is the first to notice the body in the loch who turns out to be the woman who has come to marry the local barman. But the next one to be murdered is the new surprise bride of the local Earl just 10 days later. Are there two killers? Was it mistaken identity for one of them? Was it because of someone wanting the potential inheritance from the 70ish Earl? The characters are so real, the red herrings are sneaky, and the twists are decidedly unexpected. Fine read!
I requested and received a temporary review copy from Bookouture courtesy of NetGalley. Thank you!
Avail Mar 03, 2025
#AllyMcKinleyMysteriesBk2 #CozyMystery #MurderattheLoch #NetGalley #ScottishHighlands
#SurpriseWedding

Book 2 starts with Ally finding a stranger's body in the loch. It turns out to be the fiance of someone in the village. The local earl announces he is also engaged and his young fiance, along with her sister, will be arriving in town for the wedding. His family is against the match because they worry about their son inheriting the earldom. Another stunning death leads Ally to wonder if the 2 deaths are connected and she starts digging into the earl’s past. She must interview many eccentric townspeople and attempt to unravel old mysteries while putting up with the earl’s annoying family at her B&B. Ally must race to find the murderer before there is another death.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book

A really enjoyable follow up to Murder in the Scottish Highlands and if I have to admit, my favourite of her books so far!

We are back with Ally and her puppy Flora as they start to wind down for the winter season which involves rest from running The Auld Malthouse B&B and absolutely no murder solving. However, when Ally and Flora are on a peaceful walk they encounter a dead body near the Loch. When another person is murdered at the Earl of Locharran's wedding, Ally starts to wonder if the two murders are linked?

Murder at the Loch was a fabulous cosy crime that had me changing my mind a fair few times. About 60% into the story, I thought I had solved the crime after picking up a few hints but then I realised I had been hoodwinked and even at 80% I was still unsure as my suspect didn't seem as guilty as I first thought!

I managed to read this over the weekend as I was enjoying it so much (we are currently in September and my review isn't due until March 2025) which just shows how much I loved it.

A great series that I will highly recommend!

Another good addition to this series. Ally is a fun character and she always makes me laugh.
When the Earl takes a wife, things go wrong quickly and soon Ally finds herself in another murder investigation.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.